Canal Irrigation in British India: Perspectives on Technological Change in a Peasant Economy

Although one of the acknowledged achievements of the British Raj was the extensive construction of irrigation works, their effects have to date been little studied by historians. In this book Dr Stone has undertaken the first full-scale study of the qualitative and quantitative effects on local economics of these irrigation schemes. Focusing upon the region of western Uttar Pradesh in the nineteenth century, the author examines in detail the response of the peasant economy to this important and pervasive form of technological change. In particular, he is concerned with the impact on crop choices, on the organisation and techniques of production, on protection from famine and on the ecological balance, on social and economic relations, and on differential economic performance. An integral part of his study is his examination of the technical features and administration of the systems.